In a vehicle, an electric wire is routed which transmits power from a battery or a control signal from a control device, to an electronic device. When the electric wire is routed, it is necessary to regulate a routing path where the electric wire is routed and to protect the electric wire for preventing damage of the electric wire. As a few examples, FIGS. 5 to 10 illustrate a connector unit in the related art and an aspect where the electric wire is routed by using the connector unit (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a connector unit 30 includes a female connector 20 assembled to a male connector (not illustrated) and a connector cover 10 assembled to the female connector 20. The detailed description will be given below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, and the connector cover 10 includes a lock part (an engaging piece 50 and a locking hole 15) which is a locking mechanism between an upper wall 13 and a bottom wall 14 and the female connector 20, and is accommodated in a base such as a transmission case (not illustrated).
Further, the description will be given about the connector cover 10. FIGS. 8 and 9 specifically illustrate the configuration of the female connector 20 and the connector cover 10 of the connector unit in the related art. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the connector cover 10, the space sandwiched by the upper wall 13 and the bottom wall 14 functions as an electric wire insertion port 17 into which the electric wire 80 is inserted. In the electric wire insertion port 17, the electric wire 80 is inserted along a width direction (a backward and forward direction of FIG. 9) of the connector cover 10. Further, in a partial electric wire of the electric wire 80, a terminal provided in the tip of the partial electric wire which is directed toward the female connector 20 in which the connector cover 10 is assembled is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the female connector 20. On the other hand, the other electric wire of the electric wire 80 which is not directed toward the female connector 20 passes through the electric wire insertion port 17 toward the adjacent connector unit 30. Thus, a plurality of the female connectors 20 in which the electric wire is assembled are fitted separately in the male connector. In this manner, by using the connector unit 30, the path in which the electric wire 80 is routed is formed in a direction in which the adjacent electric wire insertion ports 17 of the connector cover 10 are arranged. Thus, the electric wire can be aggregated and routed by the connector cover 10. Further, since the direction in which the connector cover 10 is attached in the female connector 20 is the same as the direction in which he female connector 20 is fitted in the male connector, it can be also prevented that when the female connector 20 is fitted in the male connector, for example, the connector cover 10 is erroneously deviated from the female connector 20, resulting in reduction of the efficiency of the fitting operation.
In the routed state illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the routing path can be regulated by the connector cover 10, and thus an operation of binding the electric wire with a binding band or the like can be omitted. Further, since the electric wire 80 is drawn via the connector cover 10, even in a case where a tension force acts on the electric wire 80, the tension force acts on the connector cover 10 first, and thus the force hardly acts on the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the female connector 20, which is advantageous.
As illustrated in FIG. 8. In the female connector 20, the locking protrusion 24 is formed in the tip positioned on a side of the connector cover 10. In detail, the female connector 20 has a box shape as a whole, and the four corners positioned on the side of the connector cover 10 are formed with the locking protrusions 24. On the other hand, the engaging piece 50 is protrudingly formed in the tip which is positioned on a side of the female connector 20 of the connector cover 10. In detail, in the connector cover 10, the upper wall 13 and the bottom wall 14 are separated to such an extent that the tip positioned on the side of the connector cover 10 of the female connector 20 can be accommodated. The engaging piece 50 is positioned to face the locking protrusion 24 which is positioned in the tip of the female connector 20 accommodated in the upper wall 13 and the bottom wall 14. In the engaging piece 50, the locking hole 15 is formed, and the connector cover 10 is locked in the female connector 20 by the engagement between the locking hole 15 and the locking protrusion 24.
Further, as another the related art different from the connector unit, a connector is disclosed which has a shape of retracting in the direction to avoid the interference with the aligned electric wire in a case where the housing of the connector is displaced, that is, which is provided with a first tilted surface and a second tilted surface in the housing, and release parts, which avoids the interference with the electric wire, on both side edges (for example, see Patent Literature 3).